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The Barkor was the most popular devotional circumabulation for pilgrims and locals. The walk was about one kilometre long and encircled the entire Jokhang, the former seat of the State Oracle in Lhasa called the Muru Nyingba Monastery, and a number of nobles' houses. There were four large incense burners (sangkangs) in the four cardinal directions, with incense burning constantly, to please the gods protecting the Jokhang. Most of the old streets and buildings have been demolished in recent and replaced with wider streets and new buildings. According to the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet, these modifications were performed by Chinese authorities to control political demonstrations, as the narrow streets allowed Tibetans to escape police gunfire.
The Barkor became touristic in the 80', and it therefore became the place of demonstrations of Tibetan monks and nuns requesting Freedom for Tibet. This is there that were arrested Ngawang Sangdrol, Phuntsog Nyidron and Ngawang Phulchung after their demonstrations. During the 2008 unrest in Tibet, a demonstration happened March 11, and after the monks were beaten by the police forces, riots have burst in Lhasa and buildings of the Barkhor were burned by rioters.
From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkhor
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